Arnab Goswami was fuming on Wednesday night after the news of 49 eminent personalities in India writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Jai Shri Ram slogan becoming a war cry to kill innocent Muslims became public. The Republic TV founder even dedicated his prime time debate to launch a tirade against these personalities that included filmmaker Aparna Sen and historian Ramachandra Guha among others.
Earlier in the day, Sen had addressed a press conference on the issue. Little did she realise that Goswami had decided to ‘gatecrash’ into her press conference remotely through the phone of one of his reporters present at the venue. Sen was surprised when the Republic TV reporter turned the speaker of his mobile phone on while informing the celebrated filmmaker that Goswami wanted to ask a question to her.
In the video broadcast by Republic TV, Goswami was seen agitated while accusing Sen and other signatories of the letter to PM Modi of hypocrisy. Launching his tirade, Goswami asked, “Why were you silent when Muslim fanatics were attacking Zaira Wasim? Where were you when a man called Ayub Pandit was being lynched outside the Jama Masjid in Srinagar? Where were you when Muslim clerics asked minorities to pick up arms? Where were you when a man was killed, Krishna Debnath for chanting Jai Shri Ram? Where were you when Muslim clerics issued orders asking minorities to pick up arms? Where were you on any of these issues?
Sen was listening to Goswami’s questions patiently with a smile on her face until her patience ran out in the face of an unending set of questions from the Republic TV founder. She interrupted Goswami to announce, “Hi Arnab, so you have started your whatabouteries again. I am not going to answer any of your whatabouteries. Please address the issue. You are not going to succeed in shouting me down, I’m done. I refuse to answer.”
Sen turned to other guests in the press conference asking one of them to address the media even as Goswami continued to shout out loud through the phone of his colleague. This, though, caused a little annoyance to Sen but she remained largely unaffected.
The letter to PM Modi by Sen and 48 others had read, “Dear Prime Minister… The lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately.” It went on to add, “You have criticised such lynchings in parliament Mr. Prime Minister, but that is not enough… We strongly feel that such offences should be declared non-bailable…”
#ArnabExposesLobby | Lobby refuses to answer on LIVE TV as Arnab Goswami confronts them with over 10 questions
Watch LIVE here – https://t.co/LGCyJUEBn5 pic.twitter.com/KFSUDgmpCg
— Republic (@republic) July 24, 2019